


The Best One For the Job

by Ameriphobia



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Misunderstandings, One Shot, Pre-Relationship, choosing a captain, hinata gets lots of compliments, supportive kageyama, the first years are second years, unsure hinata
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-09
Updated: 2015-11-09
Packaged: 2018-04-30 18:58:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5176058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ameriphobia/pseuds/Ameriphobia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hinata had always imagined becoming Kurasano's captain-he just wasn't prepared for it to happen so soon. Now he's doubting himself, and needs a little reassurance from his team (and one setter in particular) to get him back on track.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Best One For the Job

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I wrote this months ago, and originally planned to only post it tumblr because it's a lot shorter than what I would usually post here. But I decided that I might as well! This is just very sappy, kind of pre-relationship kagehina fluff. I hope you like it! Comments and kudos are really appreciated, and thank you for reading.
> 
> My HQ tumblr is http://hayshq.tumblr.com/

“Good job today everyone. Second years! Please stay after practice today!”

Hinata froze in surprise at Ukai’s words, halfway through a race with Kageyama to see who could put away the most balls first. He stared at his coach, wide-eyed and wondering what he could possibly want to talk to only the second years about. In his distraction he took a step forward, only to land with his foot on a volleyball and go crashing to the hard gymnasium floor.

“Hinata-san!” One of the first years said in a panicked voice as Hinata sat up, groaning. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine!” Hinata said brightly. The first year continued to look uneasy, and Hinata stood to show that he was, in fact, uninjured. “Don’t worry about it, Fujiwara. Go ahead and finish up cleaning so you can get home soon. You’ll need to be well rested for practice tomorrow!”

Fujiwara nodded vigorously, running off to help the others clean up the gymnasium. In the corner, Tanaka, Nishinoya, and Ennoshita seemed to be talking very seriously about something. Hinata strained his ears to try and hear what they were saying without anyone noticing that he was eavesdropping.

“The third years will be pissed if they catch you snooping, dumbass.”

Hinata jumped, because somehow Kageyama was suddenly, like…right next to him. He tried to cover up his embarrassing little start by shoving the taller boy away from him.

“Well, don’t you wanna know what’s going on?” Hinata demanded. Kageyama didn’t say anything, but Hinata could tell by the way his eyes flickered towards the third years that he was equally as curious.

Hinata frowned thoughtfully. “Why would Ukai want to see just the second years?” he wondered aloud, possibilities running through his mind, ranging from one of his teammates having contracted a terminal illness to Ukai announcing that he was engaged and appointing all of the second years as his best men.

Kageyama looked down at him out of the corner of his eye, exasperated. “How should I know that?” he snapped.

“Shut up! I wasn’t even taking to you!”

“Wh-then who were you talking to?!”

“I was just thinking out loud, jerkface!”

“Hey, you two!” Ukai shouted, “Stop bickering and get over here!”

Hinata realized that the gym had almost completely cleared out. The only people remaining were the other second years, Ukai, Takeda, Yachi, and Ennoshita. The coach, captain, and managers were all standing in a line by the nearest wall, somber expressions on their faces.

 _What if someone really_ is _dying?_ Hinata thought, swallowing a lump in his throat. He and Kageyama exchanged a nervous look before going to sit beside Tsukishima and Yamaguchi in front of the rest.

“So,” Ukai said once all of the second years were seated, “Your team captain has asked me to get all of you here so that he can tell you something.”

Ennoshita stepped forward, looking confident, if a little apologetic. “Hey, guys. Sorry to keep you late, but I wanted to talk to all of you about this in private.” He took a deep breath. “I’m going to be leaving the volleyball club after the Inter High.”

Hinata let out a squawk of horror. _This is even worse than someone dying!_ He thought, _Wait…no, that’s not right._

But it’s still terrible!

“But you can’t leave!” He said without thinking, “You’re our captain, Ennoshita-san!”

Ennoshita flushed, and Takeda took a step forward. “It’s true that we’re all going to miss him,” he said, “But Ennoshita has decided to focus on his studies. Did you know that your captain wants to be a doctor?”

Hinata looked down at the floor in embarrassment- he hadn’t known that. But he felt like they were just starting to feel like a team again after losing last year’s third years. He hadn’t expected to have to go through that again so soon.

A look to his side told him that Kageyama, at least, was as upset as he was- Tsuki’s expression was unreadable, and Yamaguchi was looking sad but understanding, but Kageyama had his eyebrows knit together and a subtle pout on his lips that told Hinata that he was really troubled by the news. Hinata felt for him, knowing how important Kageyama’s teammates were to him. He and Kageyama had that in common. The two of them would never take their teammates for granted, because they had both known times when they had no teammates to rely on.

“So,” Ukai said, snapping Hinata out of his thoughts, “We’re going to need a new team captain. I don’t want to choose another third year, because then I’ll just have to get a new one soon. So Ennoshita and I have decided to choose a first year to take on most of the captain’s responsibilities, and he will come and help the new captain whenever he has the time.”

Ennoshita nodded. “This way someone can be at games and practices that I can’t get to, but won’t be totally on their own as captain until I graduate. Does that sound alright? The other third years are okay with it, but I don’t wanna do anything that you guys object to.”

There was a mumble of assent among the second years, but Hinata was too shocked to react to the question. One of them was going to be captain? He clutched a hand to his stomach, which was suddenly performing elaborate acrobatics. He wasn’t ready for this! He had a whole plan in mind of how he wanted to become Kurasano’s captain, full of dramatic fantasies with the third years crying and Kageyama bowing at his feet. But that was for next year, when he was older and wiser and maybe a few inches taller and-

“Anyone who’s interested, please come to be before the end of the week,” Ukai said, “I would like to have this settled before the tournament. And please try to keep this amongst yourselves- the last thing the first years need right now is a distraction.”

Hinata’s heart was fluttering like a little, terrified bird trying to fly away from a hungry predator. He noticed that Yachi was staring at him, apparently trying to communicate with him using telepathy. Her eyes moved pointedly from Hinata to Ukai and back again.

Still in a state of shock, Hinata turned to ask Kageyama what he thought of this development- only to find that Kageyama had already stood, and was making his way over to the coach with purpose.

Hinata’s stomach roiled, his unease increasing dramatically at the sight of Kageyama strutting confidently to Ukai. Thinking back on it, he wondered why he had never considered that his setter would want the position of captain, when the time came. Maybe it was because he had been so fixated on the goal of becoming captain himself. Or perhaps it was because Kageyama didn’t seem like the ‘captain’ type- being in that sort of position of leadership meant focusing on a lot more than just volleyball, it meant understanding your teammates enough to encourage them, to hold them all together no matter how rough things got. It seemed like those kind of responsibilities would just feel like distractions to Kageyama.

And yet, recently, Kageyama had been putting a lot of effort into his teammates, particularly the first years. They had all been terrified of him at first, but it seemed to Hinata that he had made a conscious effort to make them feel comfortable around him. He rarely snapped at them, preferring to stop and help them with what they had done wrong, and he always agreed when they had started coming to him to ask for guidance.

Hinata thought that maybe it was because of Kageyama’s middle school experiences that he tried so hard to be nice to the third years…and yet, he could also see how Kageyama could view building good relationships with his teammates as part of his growth as a well-rounded player. Maybe he even saw being captain as his chance to take control, to lead the team towards victory on his own terms. That did sound like Kageyama. Shit.

Hinata couldn’t explain to himself why his palms where sweating, why his heart was hammering in his ears, or why he almost sprinted to the door before anyone could intercept him. And, when he hopped on his bike to start pedaling home as quickly as he could, he couldn’t explain why his eyes were filling with tears.

______

“So are you going to ask to be captain, Hinata?”

Hinata looked down at his homework. Then, after a moment’s thought, he began erasing his useless work on a math problem he was stuck on with determined hatred.

“Hinata!” Yachi gasped, “You’re going to tear through the page!”

Hinata ceased his erasing, leaning back in his chair with a sigh. He tilted his head back and fixated on a little black dot on the white ceiling of the classroom.

“Are you going to ask, though?” Yachi said, eyes a little wide with concern at Hinata’s behavior, “I was surprised that you didn’t go up to him right away.”

Hinata shrugged. “I don’t know if I’m going to,” he said honestly.

“You should, though!” Yachi insisted, “You would be so good at it! Why don’t you know?”

Hinata smiled a little, remembering when their roles were switched- when he was the one trying to convince Yachi to put herself out there. She had certainly become more confident since becoming the volleyball club’s manager.

Unfortunately, his own problems seemed a little bit more complicated. Since his panicked exit from practice the day before, Hinata had thought a lot about why he hadn’t stepped right up with Kageyama to announce his candidacy.

Part of it was definitely because of Kageyama. It was weird, because normally knowing that Kageyama wanted the same thing as him would just make Hinata competitive. But that look in Kageyama’s eyes, like he was finally getting something that he had been waiting for a long time…Hinata had found himself not wanting to get in the way of that. Despite all of their fighting, Kageyama was Hinata’s teammate, his most formidable ally…and now, finally, he was becoming his friend. He was frightened by the idea that this could cause yet another upset in their relationship; a relationship that Hinata valued and relied on.

But there was something else that had kept him back. The thought had come out of nowhere, and had been circling in his naturally anxious mind ever since Ukai announced that there was to be a new coach.

“I don’t know if I’d be good at it,” he admitted, chewing nervously on the end of his pencil.

Yachi gaped at him. “What? Of course you’d be good! You were captain of your team in middle school, weren’t you?”

“Yeah, but that was different.”

Yachi blew an irritated puff of air from her mouth, causing a strip of blond hair to rise and fall onto her forehead.

“This isn’t like you, Hinata,” she said, “Weren’t you the one who told me that you had to try things to be good at them? No one’s good at things right away.”

Hinata smiled, wanting to move the conversation somewhere else, but still not convinced. “You’re right. Maybe I’ll go talk to Ukai after practice today! But, um, can you help me with this problem….”

As Yachi helped him study, Hinata couldn’t help but think that some people were really just meant to be things like captains. Like Daichi and Ennoshita. The two of them were passionate but calm, strict and yet caring. For some reason, Hinata just couldn’t picture himself standing beside them.

It didn’t help that every time he tried, the image of Kageyama would pop into his mind. Kageyama with his talent, with his height. With the ability to be intimidating, but also a growing aptitude for compassion.

And, in a very dark and secret part of his mind that no one would ever know, he couldn’t help but feel that Kageyama might be the better one for the job.

_____

Hinata didn’t talk to Ukai that day at practice. He didn’t the day after, either, or the day after that. He felt a little like a ghost, who could only observe as his dreams slipped away from him day by day, but couldn’t do anything about it.

He didn’t talk to Kageyama about asking to be captain. Actually, he didn’t talk to Kageyama about much of anything during those days- they played together during practice, of course, but being around him reminded Hinata of his conflicted feelings, so he didn’t go to find him during lunch, or chat with him after practice like he normally would. Sometimes, he would see Kageyama giving him a strange, intense look. But he didn’t say anything about wanting to be captain either.

It was on Thursday that Coach Ukai asked Hinata to stay after practice again. He wondered what he could want to talk to him about- maybe he wanted Hinata’s opinion on if Kageyama would be a good captain? Hinata wasn’t sure if he could handle that.

When the last of the team members were trickling out, Hinata hung back. This time, it was only Ukai who waited for him, arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face.

“What did you wanna talk to me about, coach?” Hinata wondered, apprehensively. Ukai let out a troubled sigh.

“I wanted to ask if you had any intentions of becoming team captain,” he said. The scowl remained on his face, but now one eyebrow was quirked slightly upwards in curiosity. “I have to say, was surprised not to hear from you.”

Hinata blinked up at his coach. “Oh! Uh, well I…it’s just that I….” He searched his mind desperately for some kind of excuse, but the scrutinizing look in Ukai’s eyes acted like a vacuum on Hinata’s brain, leaving it pretty much empty.

After a several seconds of listening to Hinata babble, Ukai waved one of his hands dismissively. “Alright, alright,” he said, “If you don’t want to do it, that’s your choice. It’s just that no one else has volunteered. I’m getting a little worried.”

Hinata stared at him, completely lost. “Wha…but, coach, didn’t Kageyama volunteer?”

“Huh?” Ukai looked down at Hinata in confusion, “No, he didn’t. I’m not surprised…I can’t see it being something that Kageyama would want to do, honestly.”

“But didn’t he go to you after you made the announcement?” Hinata almost screamed, causing Ukai to flinch away a little.

“What? Oh, yeah,” he said. There was suddenly a little crooked smile on his face that made Hinata nervous. “But he didn’t come to ask to be captain. He just got all cocky and told me I’d be a fool not to choose you.”

Hinata’s mind was suddenly blank, because the world had stopped making sense and there was no point in trying to wrap his head around this new development, because it was impossible. He probably had a pretty clueless expression on his face, because Ukai gave him a swift cap on the back.

“Hey now, don’t tell me you were holding back for Kageyama’s sake,” Ukai said, smirking, “That would definitely be a change.”

Hinata was still a little too broken by shock to properly respond. “Kage-Kageyama…Kageyama said…what?”

“He said that you were the best one for the job, and that I’d be a fool to choose anyone else. I didn’t appreciate him bossing me around like that, but I can’t say that I disagree with him. You would make an excellent captain, Hinata.”

Hinata felt his face heat up. “Really? You really think that?” he said, unhappy to hear how small and uncertain the words came out. It this how he had sounded all week?

Ukai looked directly into Hinata’s eyes. “I do. You know the game as well as your own hand, you give it your all, and you’re good with people. You inspire confidence in your teammates, and you expect everyone to care as much and to work as hard as you do, so you wouldn’t go easy on anyone, but you aren’t cruel or frightening, and everyone would trust you. You’ll certainly need a little guidance at first, but honestly…you have all the qualities of a good captain.”

Hinata felt like he was about to combust into a little pile of ash on the gymnasium floor. “C-coach Ukai!” he choked.

“Please don’t start crying. I’m just saying the truth.”

“I’m not crying!” Hinata yelled, covering his face with his hands and feeling wetness on his palms.

“Sure, sure,” Ukai said, but he was smiling openly now. “So, are you gonna take the job or not?”

It took a moment for Hinata to gather himself enough to take the hands away from his face. When he did, he could feel the determined set of his jaw, and could feel the fire burning inside of him that had been missing for days.

_“Of course!”_

_______

Hinata peeked around a corner into the courtyard the next day to see that poor Kageyama was eating his lunch alone. He looked calm as he munched on whatever he had brought. Hinata grinned, tensing his muscles like a predator ready to pounce.

He jumped from around the corner, descending on Kageyama with a vicious series of punches.

“Ow! Hinata, what are you- hey! _Get off!”_

Hinata was thrown off of Kageyama, and crashed to the ground, laughing.

“What was that for?” Kageyama yelled, now standing and glaring down at Hinata with malice. The glare was terrifying, but Hinata wasn’t afraid. He sat up, still fighting back laughter.

“I can’t believe you told Ukai that he should make me captain!”

Kageyama’s face shifted gradually, softening and turning a light shade of pink. “Oh,” he muttered, looking off to his side instead of at Hinata.

“Why’d you do it?” Hinata asked. Kageyama plopped himself down on the ground next to Hinata.

“…I just didn’t want Tsukishima to end up captain,” he said, still not looking at Hinata. Hinata punched him again.

“Ow!”

“Don’t give me that! Like Tsukishima would ever ask to be captain! What’s the real reason, huh?”

Kageyama rubbed his arm where Hinata had punched him dolefully. “…Do you remember when we met?” he grumbled after a moment.

Hinata snorted. “How could I forget that?”

“Well, I told you later that I was kind of jealous of your jumps and reflexes.” Kageyama was looking a little bit like he wanted to sink into the pavement and never be seen again. But he struggled awkwardly on. “But…that wasn’t the only thing I noticed. The whole time, you kept telling your team that they were doing good and, I don’t know, somehow making them believe that you had a chance. Even though you obviously didn’t.”

Kageyama looked away from him again. “You somehow even got people who didn’t even play volleyball to follow you, and to want to win for you. And you don’t even have to try. I have to try really hard just to not make everyone hate me, and most of the time I’d rather just focus on my own skills. But you just….” Kageyama broke off into some elaborate arm waving for a moment before he found the right words. “You just naturally inspire people. You’re meant to do this, Hinata.”

Hinata felt warm all over. The heat was washing over his skin, uncomfortable and embarrassing, but it was also inside of him, soft and comforting like swallowing hot soup and feeling it go down. He couldn’t look at Kageyama, so he simply let his head fall forward and land with a gentle thunk on Kageyama’s hard chest.

“Oi, Hinata!” Kageyama barked, and Hinata could feel his chest rising and falling, “What are you doing? Hinata!”

Hinata took comfort in the fact that he could only see the black of Kageyama’s uniform, as if night had fallen. He took a deep breath.

“Thank you,” he said, voice muffled by the fabric. “I couldn’t have ever done this without you. I kind of hate that that’s true, but it is.” Hinata pulled his forehead away from Kageyama’s chest. He forced himself to look into his eyes.

“And I probably can’t do this without you either, so you’d better help me, okay?” Hinata said.

After a moment of being stunned into silence, Kageyama’s face split into a grin.

“Of course,” he said.

____

They didn’t announce that Hinata would be taking over as captain until after they had played their last game of the spring. They had gone far this time, and the team’s pride showed even through the haze of defeat.

When Ennoshita announced who would be taking his place, Hinata was, predictably, attacked by an emotional Tanaka and Nishinoya. He couldn’t bring himself to mind the bruises he would probably have from their congratulatory punches.

“Captain! Captain! I can’t believe it!” Nishinoya was chanted, grin taking up the entire lower half of his face.

“I’m so proud!” Tanaka wailed.

Ennoshita laughed and took off his shirt, bringing it down over Hinata’s head. Hinata had grown a couple of inches since entering high school, but the shirt was still several sizes too big for him. The others laughed, but Hinata felt ready to burst. His cheeks hurt from how much he was smiling.

And, a few feet away, Kageyama sat, a wild grin on his face. He didn’t approach Hinata, but he was there, and Hinata knew that he was going to keep his promise.

It still made Hinata sad that Ennoshita was leaving, and that the other third years would be following soon enough. But he couldn’t help but be excited knowing that it would soon be their time to shine.

And he knew that, together, he and Kageyama could do anything.


End file.
